Equipment used for loading and unloading material and cargo-carrying apparatus, such as cargo containers and flat racks, is typically referred to as a load handling system (LHS). An LHS typically includes a hooked arm that engages a container or engages an A-frame of a flat rack and pulls it onto a vehicle. Offloading occurs in the reverse of such procedure to offload a container or flat rack from a vehicle. For loading and unloading a flat rack, the LHS system must engage the bale bar/lift bar on an A-frame of the flat rack.
In order to move a cargo-carrying apparatus within the confines of a defined volume, such as the interior of an airplane, it is usually necessary to disengage the hook arm of the LHS from the cargo-carrying apparatus. Typically, additional material handling equipment is also required to load and unload the cargo-carrying apparatus and to secure the cargo-carrying apparatus. FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a local handling system requiring disengagement from a hook arm from a cargo carrying apparatus.
Thus there is a need for an arrangement for a load handling system for moving a cargo-carrying apparatus on and off the vehicle without disengaging the hook arm of the LHS from the cargo-carrying apparatus. There is also a need for a method for moving a cargo-carrying apparatus on and off a vehicle without disengaging the hook arm of the LHS from the cargo-carrying apparatus.